Allentown schools want to revamp online offerings

The district hopes to lure cyber charter school students back with the opportunity to mix cyber courses with traditional classes.

August 09, 2013|By Adam Clark, Of The Morning Call

Allentown School District hopes to expand its online course offerings by the middle of the upcoming school year and eventually allow students to take a mix of traditional and online classes while still earning a district diploma.

Only 12 students are enrolled in the district's full-time cyber academy, which uses courses provided by Virtual Learning Network. Meanwhile, about 350 students have enrolled in cyber charter schools, according to a presentation at Thursday's education committee meeting.

The district has to pay the cyber charters for those students, who cost an estimated $2.8 million last year, and it hopes to lure them back with the promise of online courses taught by Allentown teachers and the opportunity to mix cyber courses with traditional classes.

Allentown also plans to market the revamped cyber program to high school students who need to make up credits or want to take advanced placement courses, like French, that have been eliminated from the district's curriculum.

Superintendent Russ Mayo called the virtual academy an important part of the district's educational future. Several local districts, including Bethlehem and Easton, have begun similar initiatives.

"Frankly, we are not ahead of the game in this area," Mayo told the school board.

If school directors approve the administration's plan at their full board meeting this month, the district would create a $100,000 administrative position to oversee the initiative and agree to a $50,000 contract with Bridges Virtual education Services.

Bridges, which helps schools launch cyber programs, is a partnership created by the Quakertown Community School District and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit.

The district could offset those costs if it can convince 20 students, valued at about $8,000 each, to return from their cyber charter school. The plan presented Thursday calls for trying to recruit 20 students to return in the first half of the school year and another 20 in the second half.

The second 20 students would cover $20,000 in professional development, $10,000 for computers and $122,000 for online courses provided by Apex Learning Programs. The Apex courses, with the exception of advanced placement courses or other classes that aren't offered by the district, eventually would be replaced with courses taught by district teachers.

The education committee voted 5-2 to move the proposal to the full board meeting on Aug 22. Directors Julie Ambrose and CeCe Gerlach were opposed and Directors Scott Armstrong and Joanne Jackson were absent.

Ambrose said she felt immoral trying to recruit students to return to the district before the new cyber program is up and running, especially since the district believes the current program isn't as strong as it should be. Districts typically need about 18 months to build their own curriculum, said Chris Harrington, a Bridges representative.

But there's concern across the state about the quality of cyber charter schools and the district has an opportunity to use that to its advantage, Mayo said.

Eventually, the district may consider requiring all students to take at least one virtual class, an experience that will prepare them for online college courses, Mayo said.